Reaching the inn, a soft mutter could be heard from Blaiz’s lips as the room became enveloped in silence. Breathing in deeply before breathing out again, the dragonkin flopped down on his bed. Waving his hand to bring out a book from his storage, he flipped through the pages before landing on the page he was looking for.

“In order to resummon the elemental one must venture to a volcano and redraw the formation. The fire energy in the surroundings will then be used to both recreate the spirit as well as strengthen it. Better ingredients also yield a better result.”

“Haa, guess that I need to start travelling then. Before that, let’s do another attempt.”Standing up, the dragonkin put away the book before summoning a new one that had been weathered over the years from too much use. Flipping to a recent page filled with calculations, drawings, and arcane symbols, Blaiz set the book on the floor and started recreating its contents in the surroundings.

Finishing it quickly due to having done it so often, the summoner places a scrap of clothing in the center of the circle. He then starts an incantation in an ancient language, bits and pieces of which seemed to be said with less confidence than others. Overall the message could be generally understood as a spell to summon someone, usually a hero. This time, judging from the tears that threatened to be set free on the man’s face, it was being used to summon closer to him, perhaps an old friend that he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Unfortunately the spell seemed to be getting blocked by a spell. The formation started cracking apart right before it succeeded, fizzling into nothingness. Barely catching himself from falling to the ground, Blaiz regained his posture before analyzing the issues in the spell. Thinking a bit more, he swept his as another book appeared in front of him. It was titled “Spatial Locks,” and seemed to be about locking an area from being interfered with space-time magic, as well as how to break through it should the need arise. Realizing his issue, the dragonkin immediately closed the book before setting out to the market to buy a few ingredients for the improved formation.

The first was a cat’s eye jewel, used as a catalyst to help weaken the lock. Next came the blood of a magic beast, so he went to the butcher’s and got a few buckets for next to nothing since he had no idea what it was used for. Two large wooden coins were gone just like that. Finally he went to a store to buy some common jade, totalling up to thirty small wooden coins.

After that the dragonkin gathered the ingredients, he immediately returned home with a teleport so that he could get started. He would succeed this time. Rather, he must succeed this time since he couldn’t handle being alone. It was a flaw of his that she caused...and Ruby only served to make it worse. Without someone constantly by his side to talk to he would start reminiscing on his mistakes, have nightmares and cold sweats. Was he being selfish? Undoubtedly. But that wouldn’t stop him, since she’d been waiting for a year already. She was bound to be on the verge of breaking, and he had to rescue her. Luckily he finally knew how.

Grinding up the moonstone to a powder and slashing his wrist with a knife, he combined the blood and powder as he coated the cat’s eye in the compound, turning an incandescent blood red. Wrapping the cloth that was still in the center of the formation around it, Blaiz set it back down and began repairing the formation. Using the moonstone to amplify the stone, the blood soaking the cat’s eye as a to weaken the lock, and provide an anchor to the person, the formation started glowing even more powerfully this time as the beast blood did its job.

Setting to work by speaking the slow, painful words again, Blaiz couldn’t hold back his tears as he saw her slowly appearing in front of him for the first time in so long. Finishing the spell, a dragonkin woman about the same age as the summoner lay in front of him covered in scars, blood, and bruises. Clearly she’d been tortured by those vile creatures. Barely holding himself back from crying even more, Blaiz picked her up in his arms as he left for the Association to get her healed. If only that could cover up the scars in her mind, then he wouldn’t have to fear her hating him. That’s if she even remembers him….

It was a murky rainy day. The grey gloomy clouds filled the sky above as the raindrops fell onto the paving slab. Not many citizens could be seen on the streets. The vendor of local bakery gazed at the clouds above wondering whether he should close down for the day. Even the bandits upon seeing that there was no stop to that accursed weather decided to take a day off and made themselves comfortable near a cheap broken down hearth. Beggars also ceased their activities and cuddled together under bridges hoping to survive the night. They kept munching on whatever edible they could find praying that tomorrow, a good soul would part with a piece of bread and donate it to them. The life within a city was cruel to those at the bottom, to those in the gutter. Michael knew that well.

*Chip* *Chip* *Chip*

A tiny pale head poked under his robe and let out a weak sound. The dirty face blemished with the stains of hard times smiled forcefully, which only improved on the ugliness, and with a trembling hand took a tiny piece of bread, the last thing he had, and offered it to the chick.

*Chip?* *Chip?* *Chip?*

The equally emaciated chick tilted its head as it looked at Michael with questioning and worrying gaze.

"Eat up Dave." Michael urged hoarsely while suppressing his grumbling stomach. "Don't worry about me, I can still go on."

*Chip!* *Chip!* *Chip!* Dave, the chick, protested. But, after a while, it could no longer endure the hunger and slowly pecked on half of the last food they had before using its beak to roll the second half towards Michael.

Seeing the Chick, Michael let out a creepy laugh as he did not stand on ceremony and swallowed it in a single gulp. Then both the chick and youth stared into the distance while enduring the cold under the tree, the best hiding spot they could find. They were kicked out by nearly anyone they asked for shelter and all the good spots had already been occupied by other beggars. But there was no way Michael could be with them. That was, because of Dave. The beggars might appear docile and submissive on the surface, but Michael knew better. There was no way they would pass on Dave, even though there was nearly no meat on him. One youth and one chick, they were in this together. They only had each other and could only rely on themselves.

"One day, it will be better..." Michael murmured words he himself did not believe to be true. It had already been two years since they hit the bottom and they were unable to raise ever since. That fateful day, that accursed day, that day when everything turned upside down, Michael still vividly remembers every single detail. One by one, his friends turned their back on him, his family accursed him, the society despised him. Even when he left it all, he was not allowed to have peace.

'Truly, one can only rely on himself' Michael thought to himself when he sensed a sting on his hand. 'Or rather, a chick', he smiled as he stroked the head of angry Dave. After everything, only the Chick still remained by his side. Even when having nothing to eat, the Chick did not leave.

"One day, it will be better..." Michael once again said those words. They were more like a chant. When even hope was in the gutter, repeating those words was the only thing which made the duo keep going.

But today, under the grim cloudy sky, a piece of light, or perhaps a streak of darkness, graced them. As the duo was absorbed within the melancholy of their lives, a grey mountain lion stepped from within a shadow and looked at them with its two eyes, which were cloudier than the gloomy sky. Before they knew anything, the duo passed out. Then, the mountain lion took the duo of youth and chick on her back as she once again stepped into the shadows and disappeared.

Lying on a bed was a woman around the age of seventeen. One can infer from the mixture of purple and blue scales covering her neck, legs, and arms that she was probably a dragonkin. She had deep magenta hair then seemed to shimmer with stars, and eyes that were as misty as nebulae. Both of which were fairly common signs of a beginning cosmomancer who hasn’t yet learned how to control their power.

Cosmomancy is a field of magic that isn’t very developed yet since its only apparent uses are for navigation as the predictions it can provide, while accurate, are incredibly cryptic. That being the case very few magicians actually try to learn the art. There are a few attack spells in the system, but they take too long to cast and are generally weak compared to the offensive magic of other branches. All that’s left for them would be as a half-assed barrier mage.

So why would a maiden such as this choose to practice such a system? Perhaps she’s aspiring to be a cartographer? Whatever the reason may be, it doesn’t matter as much as the other young dragonkin collapsed on the bed face down to her side. Tear-stained sheets lie beneath him, though the reason why is unknown.

Eventually the man must have come to some sort of conclusion as he suddenly stood up and left the room with a trace of magic following him.

~~~~~

Returning to his burnt village, Blaiz saw the massive grave he made, along with plants starting to grow inside the village. Kneeling in front of the grave, the dragonkin started tearing up even more as he started talking to himself. “Mom, dad, I’m sorry that I couldn’t protect you. That I couldn’t protect you, Rayla, or Ruby, or anyone else in this world. I’ve yet to become strong enough to protect anyone within my reach, and so I promised myself that I’d at least try to get Rayla back safe and sound. And guess what? I finally succeeded! I did something right for once! For once in my miserable life I managed to protect someone! Or at least that’s what I want to tell you.

“Instead, I got her back, probably placed a giant target on my back, and nearly fainted in the process. The worst part about it is that she doesn’t even remember me! She doesn’t remember the person who she proclaimed as her rival during school! Those goddamned angels probably screwed with her head, so I’ll need to keep an eye on her as I help her recover. If she’ll let me, that is. Hell, I don’t even know if she’ll trust anyone at this rate. All that I can do now is just protect her in the shadows as I journey around to perfect my skills before I go and hopefully resummon Ruby.

“Yeah, you heard me right. I lost Ruby. She died. And it was all my fucking fault. I wasn’t even able to tell her I love her.” At this point tears were falling from his eyes in a constant stream, never once letting the cycle break. “So I promised myself. Again. One that this time I swear to keep, even if it kills me. That I’m going to become stronger before I face her again. Strong enough to kill anything that poses a threat to her. I won’t let her suffer, nor will I let her be unhappy for a moment. So I’ll do the only thing that the damned god in this world blessed me with. I’ll practice. I’ll practice from daybreak to sunset. And after that I’ll go start walking until my body collapses. If monsters eat me then clearly I wasn’t strong enough.”
By now the summoner was doing nothing but ramble, but it didn’t matter. Nothing did to him now. Since all that he cared about was taken away from him. Instead he single-mindedly decided to start heading towards his goal of taking it all back with his own hands. Finishing up, Blaiz stood again and turned on the spot. He decided that he would run back to the Association. If he ran at max speed and did some short distance teleports he should make it back in a week. During that time he would polish his swordsmanship on the wildlife.

No magic would be used, either, since that defeated the purpose. He needed a body strong enough that he didn’t to protect it. A sword sharp enough that he could slice through spells. And a soul burning bright enough to forge a beacon to guide Ruby home. Rayla would probably be glad that a stranger isn’t surrounding her anymore. But he didn’t care. After all, she was his rival. Even if he didn’t accept it then, he did by the time she was taken away right in front of his eyes. Oh how he wished he didn’t hesitate back then and socked the angel right in the face. But the world was full of a lot of what ifs. Going back and changing them might be the best way to solve them, but clearly his future self either couldn’t or didn’t want to. So he wouldn’t regret that choice. Instead he’ll face tomorrow with a vengeful spirit.

~~~~~

“Hi! I’m Rayla! Nice to meet you!” A boisterous purple object said to a teenager as he was researching by himself. He was studying an ancient text about summoning fire elementals. There was a spell in it that he wanted to get right before the exam took place. She had cloudy scales that slightly twinkled as the dim lights reflected off of her, and an extremely contagious smile. Looking closer, he saw that she was one of his classmates, someone who constantly tied with him for test results.

Trying to ignore her, Blaiz turned back to his book as he jotted down a few more notes. Of course the girl didn’t take too kindly to that. Though instead of punching or kicking him, she instead pestered him further. “Watcha doing?” To which he surprisingly responded to, albeit short.

“I’m researching a spell.” That’s all the answer she got out of him. Further pestering only got her his name. So she decided to go for a different approach. She grabbed a chair and sat next to him to get a better view. Looking at the book’s title and his notes, she was rather shocked as she didn’t think the gap between them was as big as it was.

The book alone was shocking enough since it was in a language that hadn’t been taught for several centuries, if not millenia. Yet the boy didn’t even seem to mind as he diligently took notes. Which yet again shocked her since he was also taking his notes in the same language, almost as if he was trying to get more practice with the writing’s structure. Curious as she was, Rayla asked him if he could teach her how to read it too.

Of course Blaiz didn’t like her to begin with as she was interrupting his precious time that he spent researching, trying to become stronger. So he replied with a no without even facing her. Her pouting face never even got to him because of that, and soon she turned downcast before quickly lighting up once more. Excited, she then said, “Alright then, in that case from now on you’re my rival! One day I’ll beat you, and once I do you’ll teach me how to that language!”
Or so she proclaimed one-sidedly. Sighing, the boy never said anything fearing that it would be used against him. Alas that, too, was used against him. “I’ll take your silence as a yes!” Said the girl before she abruptly left the library. After that she’d regularly drag him off to the arena to have a fight with Blaiz. Or she would have if Blaiz didn’t immediately forfeit each and every one of them. Soon she couldn’t even drag him there as he’d just teleport away from her.

Determined more than ever, she started practicing her cosmomancy to determine where he would be when he teleported and ran there next. Eventually Rayla got him to agree to fight her once a week so that he could test out some of his research. Of course she couldn’t do much to him except try to chant an attack spell in time. However she was a cosmomancer, so her spells took minutes to cast. And those were the short ones. Eventually she created a spell that infused her body with stellar power to make herself stronger and more durable, but that wasn’t enough to defeat Blaiz.

So she started testing out a new tactic. Seeing the future during battle. It was a risky endeavor, but it eventually paid off after she got used to it over the course of a few months. She learned when not to use it, how to look at only the moment she needed to, and countless other ways to fight. By then she could defeat the boy so long as he only relied on his sword.

She wasn’t particularly content with it ending there, but it was great progress especially for a cosmomancer. Her thinking outside of the box was definitely what helped the most, aside from having someone to constantly butt heads with. Alas the happy days that she spent trying to break Blaiz out of his shell weren’t to last.

~~~~~

During one of their bouts, three months after the exams took place, an accident occurred. Others were already using the arena so they decided to head to the forest right outside of the academy. Ruby followed after them for some protection and as a judge. Though she was far from impartial, they both decided it was fine.

The trio journeyed out a bit too far for their fight as they sought for a clearing. When they finally found one, Blaiz went rigid as Rayla continued forward. Pulling her back, he told her that today was off and that he would go back to researching. When she asked why he replied that it was due to the clearing they just saw being occupied. Not believing him, the girl went out to the clearing as he turned around and started heading back.

Entering the field she saw an angel with a masculine form, immaculate white feathers, and flowing black hair. His looks stunned her and she stood rooted on the spot. Unfortunately she failed to notice that he also looked suspicious as he was alone with no one around him. She briefly registered something about him saying that his monitoring had been going smoothly and that the plans were still on to carry out an attack within a week.

Finally breaking free from her trance, she stepped forward hoping to clarify with him. As she did so she broke a stick that she didn’t notice. Immediately afterward her neck was grabbed by thick hands as she screamed out in surprise. The angel had crossed the thirty meter gap between them in an instant without any trace of magic. Struggling to break free, Rayla screamed out once more, this time a question.

“What do you want with me?!” She shrieked. The answer she received was hard to swallow.

“I don’t want anything to do with you in particular. All that I want is for your school, along with the rest of the world’s races, to disappear.” He spoke with a sneer. “However you would make for an interesting specimen for some of our experiments. Perhaps I should take you with me?” His voice was low and oozed venom. After that he took to the skies as his captive shrieked. Not wanting to put up with it for the entire flight, the angel chopped her neck with his hands to knock her out.

~~~~~

Hearing a familiar voice scream out, Blaiz rushed back to the clearance’s entrance. Once he got there he stood stock still not moving a muscle. What are you doing?! He thought to himself. The enemy’s right in front of you hurting one of your only friends! SAVE HER! Yet he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

He heard the entire conversation, and countless times he tried to gather up the courage to run after her, fire off at least one spell, or at least do something. But he couldn’t. No matter how hard he tried his body refused to listen. Eventually he understood why. Haha, I get it. I’m weak. Of course I can’t go out there and fight. I’d only get myself killed and my body knows it. And yet, I can’t just stand here and do nothing the entire time! MOVE, DAMN IT! Eventually he succeeded. But it was too late. All that he managed to do was see the angel chop at Rayla’s neck before they disappeared.

Hahaha, what did I expect…. I’m pathetic. First my village, now my only friend. Apparently my choice in people to associate with is terrible. Or is it the other way around? Either way, I need to get back quickly and warn the headmaster! Hopefully reinforcements will arrive in time! Learning to gather his courage, he no longer faced the same obstacle again. And so he rushed to the school in order to warn everyone about what happened. Spotting Ruby waiting for him along the way, he just grabbed her and continued running. Running towards the day that he could stop protecting.

- Using the natural poisonous sap within her, she turns it into a gas and creates a cloud of poison within 3 m around her.
- Symptoms of the gas include: chills, headache, bloodshot eyes, severe pain, abdominal swelling, diarrhea, fever, delirium, and death.​

- Healing Fruit

- Healing type

- Using the red and black fruit that grows from what is now her hair, she can heal most poisons and wounds.
- If the fruit had been growing on her for a particularly long time, it can replenish mana supply and heal wounds.
- Injecting her mana into the fruit increases the effectiveness of the healing properties.​

- Natural Sense

- Misc(?) type

- Becoming more attuned to her surroundings, she can detect plants and their properties
- If she digs her roots into the ground and connects to the root network of plants, she can communicate with them to get information on nearby surroundings. This however means she must remain stationary and literally rooted to the ground.​

- Replenish

- Healing type

- Digging her roots into the ground and spreading her hair wide to the sun, she can gather nutrients and sunlight to replenish lost energy, naturally converting it to food and mana.
- Once this spell is activated, she must remain stationary.​

- Wood Manipulation

- Offensive/Barrier type/Misc. type

- She can manipulate her body that is made of wood.
- She can extend her limbs and appendages
- She can harden her skin, forming a hard, protective layer around her body
- She can sharpen and harden her fingers/branches, making them effective weapons.
- She can manipulate her outer layer of bark to look like clothes, her leaves to look like hair, her branches and roots to look like limbs of other creatures.​

- Water Manipulation (Miniscule)

- Misc. type

- She can gather the mana-filled water within her and around her and form a fist-sized ball.​